Burmese Ruby gemstones are believed to be the rarest and most valuable gemstone in the corundum family and are considered as the best Rubies. The color of these gemstones varies from the exquisite pink-red to the vivid pigeon blood red hue. These rubies are valued high in the market, thanks to their beauty, durability, and rarity.
For ages now these rubies have been in high demand. As a matter of fact, mining records from Burma go back to over 500 years. Perhaps, this is the reason why they are so popular in the world of gemstones.
It is the stunning color of Burmese Rubies that has awarded them the prestige and popularity that they deserve. If you are planning to buy these rubies, then it is important to note that their value depends on the quality and the size of the gemstone.
Properties of Burmese Ruby
Apart from its spectacular color, Burmese Ruby is a highly durable gem with a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. The stone’s specific gravity is 4.00, and it has a refractive index of 1.76 – 1.78. Burmese Ruby’s birefringence is of 0.008.
Finding high quality, natural Burmese ruby gemstones that are over 1 carat in size is difficult due to their rarity. This rarity is one such reason why these gems come at extremely high prices.
Color
There is no denying the fact that Burmese rubies are not always flawless. The value of Burmese rubies gets affected by the subtle differences in their color and the inclusions that they contain.
Those gems that have highly saturated medium dark red tones are considered the best. Whereas, such rubies that are either too dark or too light red do not come at extremely high prices.
Cut
The cut of a Burmese ruby plays an important role in giving it the status of the best ruby gemstones ever. These gems are available in a variety of cuts.
But, cushion cut, oval cut, round cut and emerald cut are highly common cuts for these rubies that enhance their beauty even more. Other than these cuts, one can also get Burmese rubies to inheart cut, pear cut, briolette cut, and marquise cut.
Treatments
A Burmese ruby stone price also depends on the treatment that it goes through. The stone’s color can be enhanced using heat treatment. Such treatment also improves the transparency of the gem.
Heat treatments of Burmese ruby gemstones are almost permanent and treated Burmese rubies don’t really require special care or precautions during use.
Other than the heat treatment, low-grade Burmese rubies may also undergo fracture-filling treatment with lead glass. This also helps in improving the color and clarity of these stones.
Although extremely difficult, finding a red Burmese ruby that is pure, natural, high-quality and untreated is a valued possession and, thus, may command a high price.
Sources
The most well-known places that produce high-quality Burmese Rubies lie in the districts around Mogok Stone Tractin northern Burma and at Mong Hsu, which is about 250km east of Mandalay. Mogok’s Burmese rubies are said to be the finest grade rubies for the past 800 years.
The strong fluorescent reaction of these gemstones to ultraviolet light also adds more charm to the red gleam of these gems, when seen under natural lighting.
Features like these make the Burmese ruby gemstones pretty exclusive and put them into the elite category of gems. Now that you know about the best Ruby gemstones, just go ahead and find a reliable supplier of natural and untreated Burmese rubies. Buy the Burmese Ruby gemstone that meets your needs in the best way possible and cherishes its splendor forever.
Ref : internet
https://www.fourmine.com/education/gemstone-education/ruby/formation https://www.gemsociety.org/article/ruby-sapphire-identifying-origin-understanding-value-rarity-gem-corundum/
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-different-origins-of-ruby-gemstone